Joe's Book Cafe 21

Little Free Library is explained here: http://littlefreelibrary.org/

Welcome back to the cafe!

Darn it! Too busy. Forgot to change the cafe number. Just treat it as a continuation of the last one, which indeed it is.

I'm going to take a clue from Mark and only list recent reads.

September 2013

92. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
93. The Telling Room by Michael Paterniti
94. Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
95. Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson
96. Me, Who Dove Into the Heart of the World by Sabina Berman
97. Born in Death by J.D. Robb
98. Death of a King by Andrew H. Vanderwal
99. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
100. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
101. A Bit of a Difference by Sefi Atta
102. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
103. Midnight in Death by J.D. Robb
104. Constellation Games by Leonard Richardson
105. The Treasure Hunt by Andrea Camilleri

October 2013
106. The Light Years by Elizabeth Howard
107. Innocence in Death by J.D. Robb
108. The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle
109. Queen Lucia by E.F. Benson
110. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
111. Creation in Death by J.D. Robb
112. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
113. Interlude in Death by J.D. Robb
114. Pale Gray for Guilt by John D. MacDonald
115. Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie
116. Longbourn by Jo Baker
117. Miss Buncle Married by D.E. Stevenson
118. Allegiant by Veronica Roth

November 2013

119. Burma Chronicle by Guy Delisle
120. Dragon Ship by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
121. The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber
122. Strangers in Death by J.D. Robb
123. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
124. Trade Secret by Sharon Lee
125. Rough Passage to London by Robin Lloyd
126. The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida
127. Double Deuce by Robert Parker
128. Looking for Rachel Wallace by Robert B. Parker
129. Early Autumn by Robert B. Parker

2014 American Author Challenge (kudos to Mark)

Willa Cather- January The Professor's House
Cormac McCarthy- February The Orchard Keeper
William Faulkner- March The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Toni Morrison- April Sula
Eudora Welty- May The Optimist's Daughter
Kurt Vonnegut- June Cat's Cradle (re-read)
Mark Twain- July Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Philip Roth- August The Ghost Writer
James Baldwin- September Notes of a Native Son
Edith Wharton- October Ethan Frome
John Updike- November The Witches of Eastwick
Larry Watson- December Let Him Go

Those little libraries are too damn cute!!! I want one in my community, but dang it - the rain visits so often I doubt books will survive very nicely in the damp, even if "under cover".

.>3 maggie1944: Ha! Yes, you'd probably want to have the Little Free Library at least have a substantial umbrella or the like over it, Karen!

Hi Joe- Congrats on #21....again! LOL. Hey, if it ain't broken...Love the Little Free Libraries. There was a nice piece on them, in the Trib recently.

It is snowing in the burbs, but not really sticking.

>4 jnwelch: Thanks, Mark! Yes, that Trib article got me thinking about the Little Free Libraries. So cool.

I'm seeing the snow; yuck (this is not a pretty snow day, folks, and it's too darn early for it!). Debbi just said it's not supposed to stick, so that's something.

So this is twenty-one redux? Well anyway, here I am, craving a spice cake with eggnog buttercream icing.

I hate Pinterest. So many scrummy recipes.

>7 richardderus: Yes, 21 redux, Richard. Because the proprietor was asleep at the wheel, or at the coffee pot, or somewhere, anyway. Jeesh. I wish we could edit those thread titles once we post them, but so it goes.

I'm not a Pinterest guy, but my daughter loves it because teachers share their good ideas for teaching classes on it.

Man, you make the best food choices. I'm going to ask that a second spice cake like this be made for those laboring. Here you go.

Ohhhhhhhhh
yyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssssss

I also found a recipe for peppermint buttercream. I can't decide what kind of cake to put it on. (Well, not lemon, anyway.) Any ideas?

Love the new cafe thread, Joe.... the little free libraries are amazing!

Did I just see RD mention spice cake..... Yum! May I have a piece of that amazing looking cake with a cup of Lady Grey tea, please?

Hey! I have the lttle free library liked on FB :) Very cool idea, methinks.

mmm cake.

>9 richardderus: It was probably meant to go on a chocolate cake, but I know that isn't what you want...I think you'd better just serve it in little cups with a demitasse spoon, and plenty of strong coffee on the side. Who needs cake?

>9 richardderus: Oops, good to hear (!) you enjoying that one, Richard.

The problem for me with the peppermint buttercream frosting, is that chocolate cake is the first thing I think of. How about red velvet cake?



>10 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori. Those little guys are so cool, aren't they? I love the take one, bring one idea. We had a nearby cafe that did that for a while, and we really enjoyed it. Then it remodeled and did away with the take one/leave one book shelves, darn it.

Yes, we made some extra spice cake after RD's irresistible request. Here you go:



>11 mckait: Methinks so, too, Kath. Very cool idea, them little libraries. There's more cake around if you want some.

>12 laytonwoman3rd: Another nice idea. I'd eat peppermint buttercream with some strong coffee, for sure, Linda.

Yum!

Sherlock would like some of those yummies, but as he is not allowed to have them, he would love some lettuce please ;)

Little free library looks like a great idea.

Becca, what a cute dog.

Joe, what a cute new thread.

Like the little Free Library pics Joe. Someone just set one up on a trail down the gorge near Niagara Falls haha.

Becca, you fuzzy boy looks like my Nicky a little bit. Nicky was not quite as curly haired but he did have that same look to his face. Oh, I miss him.

Sherlock is SO cute!

Joe wrote Good to hear about Ender's Game. Do you have a sense of whether it's better to see in the theater or at home? I suspect it may be one we should catch in the theater, as the special effects are supposed to be quite good.

The special fx are quite good, and the big screen probably displays them better than a 19"/25" screen. But the movie is good on its own, it's not just a feast for the eyes.

I'd love to start a Little Library, but not where I live: I've the last house on a dead end street, so no one would know it was there. :(

Chocolate! now how typical of me is that, it honestly didn't occur to me, but it's one of two ways I like chocolate: with mint or with nuts. A really moist chocolate cake, or ooo ooo ooo howzabout some brownies frosted with peppermint buttercream?! THAT would be scrummy and a half!

>15 seasonsoflove: Sherlock is completely adorable, Becca, as you well know...but the sheer scale of his cuteness is epic!

Aw thanks so much everyone! I think he's pretty darn cute myself ;)

>13 jnwelch: I just made red velvet cupcakes yesterday!

Love the Little Free Library concept! I would love to come across a bird house or something that I could convert into a little free library :)

>20 richardderus: Yummy!!!!

Ditto all the nice things about the Little Free Library. But heck, I can't even get the books I already have read!

I'll bet I could do more reading if I had some of that spice cake to go along with it....

>24 tloeffler: Food and Beverage always motivate me to read!! :P

I went by the closest Little Free Library a couple weeks ago--it's on the way to the pottery studio. I had to look twice--it's a bench, one of those with storage under the seat!

So last night at our book group I heard that there are places in Seattle populated with little libraries! I guess some people have more faith in those little houses to keep the books dry than I had.

Good morning! I am having some coffee this morning and for now… I'm resisting having another piece of the Black and White cake we ate yesterday. I brought home the left overs and I'm planning on passing it on to the niece's hubster and the kids. I think they can handle the calories. Sigh.

awwwww puppy! Cute :)

I love those little libraries too. . roni.. what kind of bench? That sounds interesting :)

Hi Joe! Wishing you a good one....

Well, hello, Sherlock! It's so nice to meet you after hearing about you for a while. My late lovely Callie was very fond of lettuce too. She would come running from anywhere if she heard me getting the salad bowls out of the cupboard. I kid you not...she knew the difference between those and say, soup bowls, by the sound.

(19) Addendum: I mean to say the movie is not ONLY a feast for the eyes, and did not mean to imply that it's NOT a feast for the eyes. Sorry for my inability to communicate...grr...

I really could use some coffee right now, but since Joe is sleeping in (or shoveling snow??), I'll just have to manage...

fuzzi, if you convince him to share the coffee, I'll share the pumpkin cinnamon roll pancakes.

*tackles fuzzi and rd...runs off with pancakes *

Brings in more coffee and pumpkin cinnamon roll pancakes, "anyone want more?"

>31 richardderus: RD offering to share? Are you feverish, or an imposter, man?

Holy daybreak, Batman! The proprietor must have overslept.

>14 leperdbunny: I join you in your Yum!, Tamara. Spice cake, ah, yes.

>15 seasonsoflove: LOL! How wonderful to see a Sherlock punim when I start my day! Thanks, Becca. Lettuce it is, with some chai for his mom. Who knew dogs like lettuce, or at least this little mastermind does.



>16 PaulCranswick: Ha! Thanks, Paul. Great idea, cute dog, cute thread. Sherlock's mom is cute, too. Proprietor looks a bit like a catcher's mitt, but otherwise we're doing well.

>17 brenzi: Oh, that would be a hoot to come across a Little Free Library on a hike by Niagara Falls, Bonnie. Since we usually hike with books in the backpack, we could've made use of that.

I couldn't find a pic of one on a Niagara trail, but here's one of a LFL on a trail near Madison, WI:



>18 maggie1944: Isn't that a fun pic of Sherlock, Karen? If Nicky was at all like him, I'll bet you miss him.

>19 fuzzi: Thanks for the answer re Ender's Game in the theater, fuzzi. Not sure whether we'll be able to squeeze it in, so it's good to know at home wouldn't be a bad fallback.

Yes, we've talked about having a Little Free Library somewhere in our neighborhood. At the end of a dead end street sounds less than ideal for one, for sure, although I tease my wife that that that's where the Clark Art Institute is in the Berkshires.

>20 richardderus: Ah, I just assumed you wouldn't want chocolate, Richard. Yes, brownies with peppermint buttercream would be superb. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

That little furry guy has an epically cute personality, too. He lurves people, although he always needs to know where mom is.

>21 seasonsoflove: I think you may want to keep him, Becca. But let's not rush into things. Once he learns how to text, I'll be more comfortable with this.

>22 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. Isn't the Little Free Library a great idea? I'd love to have one near us.

Red velvet cupcakes are what I'm used to having, rather than cake. Delicioso.



>23 leperdbunny: Yummy indeed, Tamara. Maybe Richard will invite us all over for peppermint buttercream frosted brownies.

>24 tloeffler: Ha! Hi, Terri. I bet we could help your reading with some of that spice cake.



>25 leperdbunny: Same here, Tamara. They go well together, don't they?

>26 ronincats: Ah, great to have someone with actual experience with the Little Free Libraries, Roni. Have you ever gotten a book there, or left one? Using a bench is a clever idea. A Little Free Library with seating.

::gets off floor and brushes off clothing::

Thank you Karen. Richard's pancakes did look yummy ::looks disapprovingly at @mckait::

>27 maggie1944: Happy Day After Your Birthday, Karen! In our house we each try to keep the celebration going as long as possible. Well, maybe that's just me. Birthday Week is about as far as I can stretch it, and I don't think I've actually ever made it that far.

I hope you enjoyed the Black and White Cake. We get my MBH a fairly small one these days, so she can polish off the whole thing after the celebration. But she sends plenty of things like that with me to work, so that they can disappear.

>28 mckait: Hiya, Kath! I'm curious about how the bench works, too, so we'll keep an eye out for Roni's answer.

Hope you're having a good one today.

>29 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! I like that Callie story, Linda. I had no idea any dogs would like lettuce. I don't think Sherlock can detect it by sound yet, but with him it's probably only a matter of time.

>30 fuzzi: Ha! The good news is I wasn't shoveling snow, fuzzi. There was only a light covering on the ground in my part of the area. I swear I got in at the usual time, but the joint has been hopping all right.

Got it on Ender's Game. All made sense to me, so we must be simpatico.

Glad you were able to find some coffee, although I could've sworn we have some cups around here, too. Here's a refill:



>31 richardderus: Oh my! Yes, coffee all round, Richard. Pumpkin cinnamon roll pancakes!

Sherlock is unbelievably cute and curly. Maybe Jim and I will get a poodle someday.

>32 mckait: This can be a rough and tough cafe sometimes, Kath. Obviously you have no problem with that, especially when it comes to pumpkin cinnamon roll pancakes.

>33 maggie1944: Good idea, Karen. Scarcity of supply has some denizens (we're looking at you, Kath) getting a little feisty.

>34 laytonwoman3rd: He can surprise you, our RD, Linda. Occasionally, out of nowhere, he'll be Santa with a sleigh full of presents. Or pancakes. I think he likes to mess with our heads.

>37 fuzzi: Let's get you a comfortable place for those pancakes, fuzzi. Kath just gets a little . . . enthusiastic sometimes.

>39 ffortsa: You know, Judy, I wasn't a poodle fan before Sherlock, but mainly I'd known standoffish topiaried ones from a distance. He was a scrawny, shaved-down lad when Becca rescued him, but full of personality from the get-go. Now she's got him all healthy and looking a bit like an Ewok. He's pretty much irresistible. She had to have a hypoallergenic dog, and that's where it all started.

>34 laytonwoman3rd:, 40 *whistles innocently through the cafe*

>4 jnwelch: Awww He does look like an Ewok! Also, A bit of a teddy bear!

We don't have any freestanding free libraries, but we do have a free library at a coffee shop I frequent, its a pretty large book case and anyone is welcome to take a book, leave a book. It is nice if you *gasp* forget your book!

>42 richardderus: *struggles to re-attain equilibrium after disorienting generosity*

>43 leperdbunny: Both of those fit the little guy, Tamara. Hard to believe he was so neglected before Becca got a hold of him. He's thriving now.

That's the set-up we had at a nearby cafe, a bookcase for leaving and taking books, but they discontinued it, darn it. It's an excellent idea. We'll occasionally see that kind of thing at hotels when traveling, too.

Lemon brownies on the way! Everyone dig in!

*falls over in disbelief again* *(after grabbing a lemon brownie)*

Oh no... there they are again. *faints*

*considers apologizing to fuzzi, but can't find her, so leaves a note *

feeling grumpy.

*wanders back out*

Man, I am just gaining weight by looking at this thread! *Peers over glasses at Richard*

I can now report, after a suitable recovery period, that limes work well in the brownie recipe, and the recipe itself produces a scrumdiddlyumptious moist and flavorful brownie.

Oh my yes. Yes indeed.

oooh, I make lemon brownie too. It is simply too good. You eat it and you can feel your teeth rotting and your girth expanding before it even hits your stomach.

Recipe for those delectable-looking lemon brownies??

::hugs Kath::

I am gaining cyber-weight from your thread Joe!

With all the Lianden universe talk here and on Roni's thread I have started a re-read of Partners in Necessity. I finished the first, Conflict of Honors today. Even better than I remembered!

My day after the Official Day of Celebrating the Anniversary of My Birth was sweet. More packing. And some more Packing. And then some packing. Afterwards, my friends rescued me and took me to lunch. Yay! The Black and White left over cake from last night went to the non-deserving, or is it undeserving, Niece, her husband, and her kids. I'm hoping the kids like it. It was yummy.

I started reading The End of Your Life Book Club this afternoon. It is the next selection for my book group and I was hooked immediately! Wheeee

I'm enjoying some homemade hot chocolate! All this food talk has made me hungry!

Hi Joe- All these great photos put a well-needed smile on my face. People chugging pots of coffee. Gigantic, bean-bag sized pancakes!
Hope your day went well. Motherless Brooklyn grabbed me immediately. What a perfectly unique detective story.

>55 msf59: Isn't Lethem a pip? He can tell any story and make it supremely easy to swallow. As She Climbed Across the Table is another example of this ability.

I was all ready to just say that those Little Free Libraries are adorable and then I saw the picture of Sherlock. He's REALLY adorable!

>31 richardderus:. O. M. Gosh. Richard, wherever did you find those pancakes, and how quickly can I get some for myself????

Ditto with the lemon brownies. Or Yellowies. Whatever. Curse you, Richard. I am so hungry right now, and all I have to console myself is a fudge bar. *Heavy Sigh*

I'm sorry Joe, did I miss it? Do you recommend Thurber's The 13 Clocks?

>58 tloeffler: *smooch*



Pumpkin pecan scones with maple glaze. You're welcome.

Oh, Sherlock is adorable! He looks like a dog we had when I was a kid - Noah - who was a Lhasa-Poo.

Good choice on the James Baldwin selection. I think I'll pop in for some non-fiction of his too - either The Evidence of Things Not Seen or The Devil Finds Work.

Still all this food talk. I am still drooling over those brownies. sigh.

This is such a drool-y thread at all times! There is so much wonderful food out there, and I am just never inspired enough to make some of it. #LazyMe

Hugs to you Joe...

>47 mckait: RD's just leaving folks discombobulated left and right, Kath. We've got a comfy stack of pancakes you can lie on if you want to catch your breath for a bit.

>48 leperdbunny: Richard is in trouble again, Tamara! Maybe if he comes up with something tasty today we'll forgive him. Hmm, wonder what's going on at >60 richardderus:.

>49 richardderus: Limes? I never would have thought of that one, Richard. We may need to have a guest chef night here some time. Your repertoire continues to expand. You may to let out your repertoire belt a couple of notches.

>50 LovingLit: Smiling all the while, I'm sure, Megan. Makes me think of date bars my mom used to make us as kids. Couldn't get enough of them.

>51 fuzzi: You may have to contact the maestro directly, fuzzi, for the lemon brownies recipe. We could come up with one, but it no doubt wouldn't be the same.

>52 Cobscook: I have such fond memories of those Liaden books, Heidi. I've thought about a re-read many times. I was surprised at how good they were when I first read them, and I'm glad to hear you're having the same reaction on a re-read.

We've got a special place for those who have eaten too much. Turns out the cosmic vectors are tuned just right to remove unwanted cyber-calories and that too-full feeling. Feel free to cool out here and read for as long as you want.

>53 maggie1944: Although packing is hard work, Karen, I'm sure there is a certain exhilaration in finishing one chapter and starting another - not to mention the reward of a Hawaii trip on the horizon. Glad the b-day celebration was a success, including the black and white cake. I'm sure the young 'uns will scarf it up.

I've thought about reading The End of Your Life Book Club, so I look forward to hearing what you think of it.

>54 leperdbunny: That looks most excellent, Tamara. Homemade hocho is hard to beat.

>55 msf59: Hiya, Mark. Glad we brought some smiles your way. We could all use more of those, right?

Yesterday actually had some grumpworthy moments, but the smiles here helped on my end, too. I think Lethem is a really interesting writer, and there was a time I was caught up on his books. I'm kicking myself a bit for falling behind. Motherless Brooklyn is a good read, isn't it?

I'm enjoying Rough Passage to London, which worried me in the beginning with its plain vanilla writing. He's telling a good story, based on a family ancestor.

>56 richardderus: I loved his As She Climbed Across the Table, Richard. That may be my favorite of his. Girl in Landscape was pretty amazing, too. I started reading him with Gun, With Occasional Music, which hooked me on Lethem with its weirdness.

>57 Copperskye: Ha! I know, Joanne. Sherlock is an adorable little guy. Great at solving mysteries, too, usually involving how to get at things he shouldn't. We still haven't figured out how he made and then successfully hid the collapsing ladder that let him get up on the kitchen table to rummage through a bag of treats.

>58 tloeffler: Richard seems unrepentant, Terri, but he's making up for it with more goodies in >60 richardderus:. Hard to overly criticize a guy who's coming up with so many yummers, although we can try.

>59 NarratorLady:

I briefly said how much I enjoyed The 13 Clocks, Anne, but didn't have time to review it. You would like it, methinks. Can Xingu the minstrel (who may be a prince in hiding) complete the impossible task assigned by the lovely Saralinda's evil uncle and win the right to marry her? The mysterious Golux wants to help him, but has problems of his own. It's a short book, and much of the fun of it lies in a consistent rhythm that Thurber uses, along with a lot of fun wordplay and rhymes. There is a joy in the writing that's contagious.

Apparently he was blind at this point, so it's illustrated by a guy named Marc Simont, who does a credible job, including his portrayal of the "indescribable" hat of the Golux. A couple of quotes:

“I can feel a thing I cannot touch and touch a thing I cannot feel. The first is sad and sorry, the second is your heart."

“I make mistakes, but I am on the side of Good," the Golux said, "by accident and happenchance. I had high hopes of being Evil when I was two, but in my youth I came upon a firefly burning in a spider's web. I saved the victim's life."
"The firefly's ?" said the minstrel.
"The spider's. The blinking arsonist had set the web on fire.”

Nutella brownie bites. More like teensy little chocolate lava cakes. Use salted peanuts, not hazelnuts, and it's at the next level.

>60 richardderus: Pumpkin pecan scones with maple glaze?! Your horn of plenty has no end to it, Richard. Wondrous.

>61 DorsVenabili: That Sherlock is even more adorable in person, Kerri. His mom is a charmer, too. The two of them go around making people smile. Seems like a good life.

I'm glad you like the Baldwin pick. I read Go Tell It on the Mountain as a kid, and it's good to have the motivation to read another of his. One on the list that I just haven't been able to get myself to read, after seeing the movie, is The Color Purple. By all accounts, it's well worth the read, so I'll finally do it.

>62 mckait: Hugs back to you, Kath. That's why you go to a cafe like this - you want something tasty, and you don't want to make it. I know, we're probably all sponging the drool off the keyboard at one time or another, particularly when RD shows up with his Santa's bag of comestibles.

Hope your day treats you well; you deserve it, right?

ETA: >66 richardderus: Whoa! *looks around for drool sponge*

I'm a big fan of bite-size treats. That's one trend that's been a real positive. You don't overload, and you can try more than one kind.

and you can try more than one kind ain't that the truth Joe and the real reason we love the mini treats!

Have a wonderful Wednesday my friend.

>66 richardderus: Holy Moly! I need that drool sponge too! Me too Joe, I have IBS, so bite size treats allow me to enjoy treats without worrying about getting sick.

Since RD isn't forthcoming, Here is a link to a recipe for the Lemony Lemon Brownies. As it seems to have an identical photo to the one he posted, this may be very close if not the actual thing. I'm going to try it, in any case.

Oooohhh...Joe...date bars. Yes. We used to have those at holiday time when I was a kid, and I wasn't a fan. But I'm going to scare up Grandma's recipe and try them, because I'm pretty sure they'd make me happy nowadays.



The story of this Little Free Library here in Scranton . This guy went to great lengths, bringing a phone box from the UK for the purpose. I haven't visited it yet, because I haven't figured out exactly where it is, but I intend to.

We have The 13 Clocks on the shelf, Joe, and you make me want to get to it. Your newest thread is off to a delicious start - sorry I was late to the party.

I didn't know it was a general request for the recipe! I posted it on fuzzi's profile. Keeps the proprietor's clutter to a minimum.

>68 luvamystery65: Ain't that the truth, Roberta? We really enjoy being able to graze among different bite-size desserts. If one's not that great, we don't revisit it, and for ones that are, more can be had. Perfect.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, too! This day is much better on my end than Trying (as in patience-straining) Tuesday.

>69 leperdbunny: I know, we probably should come out with some drool sponges bearing the cafe logo, Tamara. It would help, of course, if we knew what the cafe logo looks like. I didn't know that bite-size yummies help with IBS, but enjoying treats without worry sure is what you want. Now I'm glad of this development for that reason, too.

>70 laytonwoman3rd: I like that story of the Scranton Little Free Library, Linda. He certainly seems like an unusual and good-hearted fellow, doesn't he? I'm a pushover for the Brit red phone booths. If you visit it, please give us a report. "More than 10,000" LFL's registered worldwide - that's positive news. Our Wisconsinites can take pride that it started there.

>71 Crazymamie: The 13 Clocks is a fun one, Mamie, a nice change of pace that could fit in anywhere with your reading. I'm glad Gaiman pushed to get it back out there. My dad had The Thurber Carnival, so I read and enjoyed that as a kid, but had never read this one.

>72 richardderus: OK, everyone: field trip to fuzzi's profile. It'll be worth it.

I'm so glad the most recent treats have nuts in them. I can resist that even virtually, as I've never had a chance to find out what nuts taste like. In RL, the waistline is expanding again. Sigh.

The library is too. I spent some time down in the laundry this month, and came up with 10 homeless books waving their little serifs at me. 10. Sigh. List is on my thread.

Make sure y'all wipe your feet before you stampede onto my profile...someone tracked in all sorts of mud last week...

>74 ffortsa: Sounds like an allergy, Judy, if you've never found out what nuts taste like? My MBH won't eat baked goods with nuts in them because she just doesn't like them that way; she'll eat whole nuts by themselves. Good for you for welcoming those poor homeless books waving their little serifs. LOL! I'll visit and see the list.

>75 fuzzi: We'll try to spread the word, fuzzi. The thoughtlessness of some visitors . . . Maybe we all should install carwashes for feet (feetwashes?) at the doors of our profiles for problems like this.

Allergy is right, Joe. Tree nuts and peanuts. Friends have tried to explain the tastes, but that's a tough assignment.

This thread is so soft and calming....Thanks for that.

Hi Joe- I had a much better day today, although it was still chilly. I am going to try to catch up a little on the threads.
On the GN front, I've been reading Mirror, Window. I like it so far. I really liked the first section, with the alternating views.
And I am still loving Motherless Brooklyn. Expect much gushing. You know me, I can't control myself. Lionel is such a great character.

So glad that you liked The 13 Clocks, but really, how could one not? Such a delightful read.

>76 jnwelch: Or just remember to take our shoes off.

I am never baking anything ever again! I've eaten HALF the nutella brownies and an undisclosed fraction of the lime ones. I am gonna weigh 350 and have type II again if this keeps up.

>77 ffortsa: Oh my, that's got to be tough, Judy. I know our daughter's school is on high alert for that sort of thing because of how severe the reactions can be, and nut allergies are about the worst, right? Yeah, explaining how a nut tastes - hard to think of something a walnut or some other tastes "like" that would help explain it.

>78 mckait: Good to hear, Kath. You know, a cafe is supposed to be a place (at least in my mind) where you go to relax and take some time to just hang out, away from life's cares. Your description fits that well.

>79 msf59: Glad it was a better day yesterday, Mark, although it was chilly, wasn't it? Today should be an improvement on that front, with the weekend even better.

I'm glad you're liking Mirror, Window. As you can tell, I enjoy the "slice of life" graphics, like Brian Wood's.

Motherless Brooklyn is a special one, isn't it? I look forward to the gushing. Lionel Essrog is quite a guy. The issues with control make me think of one I just started, The Reason I Jump, by an autistic young man. Fascinating.

>80 scaifea: The Thirteen Clocks is delightful, isn't it, Amber? His obvious - jubilance? in writing it, and the sly wordplay, and that internal rhythm, all make for a one-of-a-kind. Imagine being a Gaiman child and having him read it to you!

>81 Morphidae: Sometimes the simple solutions are best, Morphy. Feetwashes might be pretty expensive, too.

>82 richardderus: Oh my goodness, what a predicament for the rest of us, Richard. We vicariously benefit from your baking, but we sure don't want you at 350 and Type II-ing. This warrants some deep thinking. Meanwhile, here's some unbaked watermelon radish to squeegee some of those tasty but, in great quantities, dangerous molecules.

I have never seen those before, nor heard of them either.

**wanders off to visit the Google**

Cool radishes! I do love radishes, too. French breakfast radishes, a sourdough roll, coffee, and (appalling to a French person) butter. Oh yum.

Those radishes are mirror image of traditional ones. How cool...

Richard, take CARE of yourself. We can forego the sweets for you.

Thanks fuzzi, I do better when it's not the holidays. I love holiday desserts! And cookies. And...well, anything with massive amounts of butter, cheese, and/or bacon.

>84 maggie1944: Ain't the interwebgoogle wonderful, Karen? We have more info at our fingertips than ever in the history of history. Including about watermelon radishes.

>85 richardderus: Those are cool, aren't they, Richard. I remember you're a radish fan. French breakfast radishes it is:



ETA: >>86 fuzzi:-87 This time of year really brings out the sweets, doesn't it? Let's tone it down for the nonce, no problem.

Rough Passage to London, an ER book by Robin Lloyd, turned out to be a solid 19th century nautical tale based on the real life exploits of Captain Ely Morgan, an ancestor of the author. Morgan's life certainly provided rich material. Off an eastern farm, as a boy he joined a packet sailing ship on the New York-London route as the lowest deckhand. Quickly he rose not only to captain his own ship at a young age, but eventually to be the master and part-owner of a fleet. Along the way he became connected with an impressive list of historical figures from the period, entertaining Queen Victoria on his ship and transporting Napoleon's brother Joseph multiple times, while he and his family became close with Charles Dickens and he befriended, among others, William Thackeray and a host of artists from the period, including J.M. W. Turner. This is even more remarkable given sailors' primitive lives, lack of education, and limited exposure to how to behave in society at that time.

At the beginning I was worried, because the writing is pretty plain vanilla. But Lloyd manages to economically tell quite an engaging story. Morgan is searching for his lost brother Abraham, a sailor who unwittingly got caught up with ruthless criminals defending an enterprise that Morgan has to sort out while eluding danger himself. We learn about the deplorable conditions for sailors and city dwellers of the time, the upheaval and horror experienced by transported slaves (which trafficking Abraham got into trouble resisting), as well as the stresses on family life during that time. Along the way there is a seasoning dash of nautical talk for thems that like it, e.g., "The men on watch, led by Mr. Pratt, struggled up the rigging, the wind flattening them against the shrouds and the ratlines as they tried to fasten and tighten the tangled ropes. To further strengthen the masts, Morgan ordered them to catharpin the shrouds by means of capstan bars lashed just below the futtock shrouds." A diagram at that point might have helped a landlubber like myself.

Does Morgan have any chance with the lively, educated society girl Eliza? Especially when she's being warned that sailors are "coarse men who eventually end up at the other end of the bottle. Human driftwood . . . worthy of no shore"? What will be the outcome of his search for Abraham? Will evil William Blackwood and Big Red eventually catch up with him, or his close friends, or his family back on the farm? Those who have enjoyed Hornblower and other nautical tales will likely enjoy this one, too.

And sugar, richard. But butter is wonderful, too.

Watermelon radishes are so pretty! That french breakfast radish dish looks beautiful as well...*almost* too pretty to eat!!

Oh I loved Rough Passage to London! And I agree, those radishes are beautiful! I love peppers too. They are so pretty ! So many colors..

"The men on watch, led by Mr. Pratt, struggled up the rigging, the wind flattening them against the shrouds and the ratlines as they tried to fasten and tighten the tangled ropes. To further strengthen the masts, Morgan ordered them to catharpin the shrouds by means of capstan bars lashed just below the futtock shrouds."



...wuuut...?

>90 fuzzi: Can we add frosting, too, fuzzi?

>91 Cobscook: I thought so, too, Heidi. Great presentation.

>92 mckait: You're the one who pointed the way for me, Kath. Through your complex network of underworld connections for getting copies of books before they're even ERs, you read this a good while ago, and your positive reaction caused me to make the ER request. So thank you! I enjoyed it, as you can tell.

>93 richardderus: Horrors! I never wanted to see that face again. Can we get a pic of furry Sherlock please?

http://pics.cdn.librarything.com/picsizes/90/6b/906b843131b2efe637150466851434b4...

shoot! I wanted to post the picture, but if you click the link, the picture might make you smile, a little.

Much better than a pic of Dubya, Karen, thanks. Where is that from? Hacienda Karen? Is there a story to it? That's an unusual combo.

Hi Joe- I've heard very good things about The Reason I Jump. I saw Mitchell on the Daily Show recently, talking about it. You might give me the nudge I need.
Good review of Rough Passage to London. I might think about that one.
I could also do without a pic of Dubya! I just saw a photo of Cheney in a cowboy hat. OMG!

*waves* How ya doing this evening Joe? I am enjoying Angelopolis finally with a nice cup of tea (sweet pumpkin spice) with milk and honey. I was in the mood for Earl Grey but I only had a couple of bags left. I tried one of the last ones and it tasted stale. So, I switched to my other fave. Will have to hit up the store for some more Earl Grey, as if I need more tea. ;)

Joe, here's some reading nooks for you to add to the cafe:

http://bookriot.com/2013/11/13/10-terrific-reading-nooks/

Scrapple breakfast! Yum!

Here's the plan.

You give me ALL the lemony brownies and I will (eat them all) - err, analyze them and produce a receipe.

Or just eat them all.

Poodles get a bad rap. They're hunting dogs, working dogs and good dogs generally.

Adding The Thirteen Clocks to the wish list.

>97 msf59:

The Reason I Jump is fascinating, Mark, and well worth the read. It's very fast, too - you'll be done before you know it.

It's structured in a question and answer format, with behaviors we've all wondered about featured. Naoki is able to articulate, by picking letters from an "alphabet grid" via computer, how different the experience of those with severe autism is from ours, and also how similar their feelings are, even though it is so hard for them to articulate those feelings. He explains why eye contact is a problem, how their memory operates differently, why they behave in certain ways, and how easily their senses can get overwhelmed. And, yes, the reason he jumps. I don't know enough to know whether the way he experiences autism is as widely shared as he believes, but he certainly is explaining common behaviors in a way that makes sense. The differences in processing sensory input, and behaving physically in our world, are striking. Much of his message is for us all to be patient with them, very patient, and to stick with it when they seem to push us away. He comes across as very bright, humble, and engaging. He even includes a couple of stories he has written, one of which is particularly thought-provoking - "I wrote this story in the hope that it will help you to understand how painful it is when you can't express yourself to the people you love."

An example of what he does here: in explaining their propensity for repeating questions: "We aren't good at conversation, and however hard we try, we'll never speak as effortlessly as you. The big exception, however, is words or phrases we're very familiar with. Repeating these is great fun. It's like a game of catch with a ball. Unlike the words we're ordered to say, repeating questions we already know the answers to can be a pleasure - it's playing with sound and rhythm." He addresses all the difficulties in controlling physical motion and emotions, and his own remorse in the aftermath of a meltdown: "I'll calm down and . . . see no sign of the tsunami attack - only the wreckage I've made. And when I see that, I hate myself. I just hate myself." One reviewer called this a "Rosetta Stone", and it has that feeling of revelation, a way into a world we have never understood. I can't say enough good things about it. Definitely dig into it - you'll zip through, I promise.

The Reason I Jump sounds beautiful! Adding this to the list!

>98 leperdbunny: Hiya, Tamara. We can get some of that Earl Grey, although your autumnal sweet pumpkin spice tea sounds like it hit the spot. Angelopolis looks like it's filled with passion, danger and divine warfare (how did I know that?), and I know a lot of people are hooked on this world Trussoni has created. Hot tea and a page turner - nice.

>99 fuzzi: Whoa, those are beauts, fuzzi. Thanks for the link. You probably knew I couldn't resist that top one in particular. Here's the latest addition to the cafe:

We should all join Jon Stewart's book club - every time he's had an author on and recommended a book I've come up with a keeper.

He had David Mitchell on a few weeks ago talking about The Reason I Jump - I was riveted. I have a mildly autistic young boy in my circle - this book is going on to my "Next Book to Read" list

>100 richardderus: Scrappletacular, Richard. Of Pennsylvania derivation?

>101 magicians_nephew: Hi, Jim. Good plan. The only flaw I see is all the other denizens grabbing for a share of the brownies. I'm told the secret recipe can be found at fuzzi's.

I'm now a believer in poodles. I knew they were supposed to be smart dogs, but this little guy wows us on a regular basis. One of wildest was - let's see if I can explain this. I got as a gift from my MBH a small, maybe 3" x 5" or 3" x 6", bird call machine. Cards you slide in show the birds, and you push a button next to the bird picture to hear their call. One morning, with Sherlock visiting, I played some of the bird calls in our kitchen, and he went bonkers. With the sound bouncing, he went all over our kitchen on his hind legs, trying to find the birds. Hysterical, right? But what really got us was when he figured out it happened when I pressed the buttons, and came over and tried to press the buttons with his paw. Are you kidding me?

Glad you're going to give The Thirteen Clocks a go. Let us know what you think of it.

ETA: >105 magicians_nephew: Jon Stewart is such a smart guy. Makes it hard to understand his failure to appreciate deep dish pizza (he can't decide whether to try to eat it, he says, or throw a coin in it). The book is amazing. I haven't read Mitchell's intro yet - I've grown wary of reading intros over the years, as the writers so often want to give too much away, or take things in what is, for me, an unenjoyable direction. So I'll read it now, as an afterduction, or postduction, or something like that. He and his wife have done us a real service in translating this.

Another ETA: >103 leperdbunny: Oh good, Tamara. Let us know what you think of it. I almost missed you there!

>100 richardderus: *moan* Scrapple. How utterly lovely and crisp it looks. I can almost taste it. A virtual treat only, for me, these days. And thank you for not pouring syrup all over it!

Joe - Poodles are amazingly smart. I own 4 of them myself (toys not standard) and am always shocked by what they are able to deduce. Biscotti especially, if there isn't enough water in the water dish she will shove it across the floor and then look up at us impatiently. And I think Sherlock is one of the cutest dog names ever!

>106 jnwelch: Pennsylvanians love their scrapple, I know that much, Linda. I wonder what Jon Stewart thinks of scrapple.

>107 laytonwoman3rd: Hi, Abigail! Good to see you in the cafe. Four poodles! You must have a lively time of it. Is there a difference between toy and miniature? Sherlock's a miniature, as far as I know. Definitely not a standard. It's a great name, isn't it. Can you guess our young lady is an Arthur Conan Doyle fan? If she had rescued a female dog, her name was going to be "Irene", for Irene Adler.

Last I knew, on behalf of Sherlock, Becca and her brother had decided all squirrels are named "Moriarty".

All squirrels remain Moriarty, all birds Sebastin Moran ;D

The fattest, dumbest Moriarty on the planet...well, late of the planet...paid no attention to Stella's stalking pose this morning. I didn't interfere with evolution's verdict.

>109 jnwelch: Toy is smaller than miniature. From the AKC website: Standard: over 15 inches tall at the shoulder; Miniature: over 10 but under 15 inches; Toy: 10 inches or under.

Joe - We do have a time of it! As far as i'm aware the toys are slightly smaller than the miniatures. I've read quite a bit of Sherlock Holmes myself and am a huge fan. 'all squirrels are named "Moriarty" I love that!

>110 seasonsoflove: Ha! I didn't remember the birds had a name, Becca. Does that mean the squirrels and birds conspire together? That would explain so much . . .

>111 richardderus: Ah, perhaps Sherlock can take a lesson or two at the knee of Sifu Stella. No evolution fears when he's on the beat, so far.

>112 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda. You'd think I'd know that from "Best of Show". "After the dog show I was on an El Al flight to Haifa faster than a walnut could roll off a henhouse roof."

ETA: >113 Thebookdiva: Isn't that a hoot, Abigail? And now we know that all birds are Sebastian Moran. We'll just make sure Sherlock doesn't get lured by them to Reichenbach Falls. You may have to meet our Becca (seasonoflove) some day. Sounds like you have a lot of important things in common.

Smart pup!

I have to brag just a tiny bit on my Tirzah. She's half German Shepherd and half Labrador Retriever, and quick to learn a new trick.

After I feed the cats and I have an empty can, I turn around and there she is, waiting for her turn to lick out the leftovers.

What is REALLY smart, though, is this: when the can is "finished", she'll bring it to me and make a growly sound. I then follow her to the kitchen, take the lid off the trash can, and allow her to drop the can in the trash. If I only "swing" the lid open, she places her face where the opening is, even if I've rotated the lid to a different position!



Now if I could teach her to put the cans in the sink for rinsing (I do recycle them)...

Our pups are about book size:



You can hold them with one arm.

116 Awww soo cuuuuteee!!!

>114 jnwelch: That's impressive, and very cool, fuzzi. Way to go, Tirzah! Why go halfway - see if she'll put the cans in the sink and rinse them. I keep bugging our daughter to teach Sherlock how to text, so we can stay in touch with him.

>115 fuzzi: Oh, that wins the prize, Abby. No way Sherlock has learned to read yet. Your pups are mighty cute, too. Hard not to smile when they're around, I'm sure.

ETA: >116 Thebookdiva: Well put, Tamara. Hard to argue with, too.

Leperdbunny & Joe - Thanks, that's my dog Barnum. He makes me smile everyday. & a texting dog would definitely be a sight to see!

Joe, as Tirzah has been taught to NOT be a kitchen counter "surfer", I think I'm going to not teach her to drop things in the sink...which is next to the forbidden counter.

But it's fun teaching her, she takes joy in doing what I've taught her. When she was a puppy and misbehaved, I taught her to go to her "corner", which is the alcove by the back door. As she had some frustration issues, I also trained her to pick up one of her stuffed toys (a "teddy") and vent her frustrations on it. As an adult, if I scold her and send her to her "corner", she picks up a stuffed toy on the way to the back door...

:D

>119 Thebookdiva: I'll bet Bailey makes you smile every day, Abby. Is there a Barnum? Or a 's-Irish Cream?

>120 fuzzi: I hear you, fuzzi. You probably saw my story about Sherlock building a collapsible ladder to get up on the kitchen table. He also managed to turn on the gas oven, which seasonoflove has since made knobless when she's not around.

Tirzah obviously understands "time out" in the corner, which can't be common. And taking out frustration on stuffed toys - grabbing one on the way to her "corner"? Priceless. Must be hard not to laugh as you're disciplining her.

We had pugs when I was growing up, and they understood sit, and shake hands, but we knew early on that they probably wouldn't be private investigators when they got older.

> 118 I keep bugging our daughter to teach Sherlock how to text, so we can stay in touch with him. Bwahahah :P

Since this seems to be the foodie thread, I thought I would share that I am going to make pickled limes this weekend! They won't be ready for a while but I am excited about the process!

And what does one do with pickled limes? I'm intrigued!

Joe - hahaha, yes there is a Bailey too actually.

>>131 DeltaQueen50:-132 I join Linda on this, Tam. What does one do with pickled limes? Besides put them in pickled coconuts?

>124 Thebookdiva: Ha! Hard to have one without the other, I'm sure, Abby. That leaves the mystery of the other two. In my youth, the answer might be, "Animal" and "Crackers".



I don't see "and Bailey's" anywhere for the animal crackers, but that's sure what we called them way back when.

I'll give you a hint, Joe. One of the dog's does have a cookie name, but it is not crackers.

Hmm. Thanks, Mamie. Let's see. Salted Caramel Skillet? Oatmeal and Spiced Rum? Brown Butter Thumbprints?

Slap me upside my whiskers, I forgot this was Abby from the Pecan Paradisio! I forgot about the name change. I probably forgot my car keys and proper identification, too. Now it all falls into place.

But I bet I'm still missing by a mile on the remaining two mystery names. Irish Butter Shortbreads with Lemon Zest? No, you'd run out of breath trying to call her with that one. Triple Fudge Oreo Crunch? Am I getting warm?

You made both Abby and me laugh, Joe! Biscotti is the dog with the cookie name, and the remaining poodle is Bella. In that photo up there, they are arranged like so: Bailey, Biscotti, Barnum, and Bella.

>128 Crazymamie: Got it, Mamie, thanks. I was so close! Who knew there was a Bella cookie?



Great names, great dogs. Biscotti looks like she squeezed into the photo at the last moment.

123,125 So, as Amy March did in Little Women, you can eat them whole. Traditionally they came from Royal British (and then American) Navy to prevent scurvy. In South Asian cooking, as part of the pickling process you can put spices and peppers in with them to make them spicy. You can use them in curries and rice dishes. I've also heard they make a mean base for guacamole. I made them for eating them whole. They work just like pickled cucumbers in that you can pickle them whole or sliced. The skin becomes very soft and flavorful so you can eat the whole thing! My recipe is an approximation of recipes I was reading online:

Limes
water
salt
sugar (sugar is not required)

and my own personal touch:

Cardamom, Cinnamon and Nutmeg!

I want them to be sweet and salty and tart!

I made two batches with the spices and one plain because I want to see if there is a big difference. I know I've had dishes with Cardamom in them and Cardamom does a good job of complimenting acidic bases. They take 3 weeks to pickle. :)

Great names, great dogs. Biscotti looks like she squeezed into the photo at the last moment. Puppy photobomb!

Hi Joe, that new book nook looks like just the place to while away some time reading, munching on pickled limes and stroking poodles. Ah, what a great way to spend an hour or two!

Pickled lime as a base for guacamole! Sounds yummers, let me know if you try that out.

Joe, as with human children, sometimes it is extremely hard to not laugh, and especially so when it is most inappropriate!

>132 richardderus: Will do RD!

i'm ravening. i've snatched some of RD's lemony things but may i have some time-jiggered scrambled eggs with cream cheese and chives and a ninglish muffink? oh, and a cup of Peet's Blue Mtn limited roast. with cream, er, half/half pls?

Cider with Rosie is gorwing (?) on me. lovely weekend to you n your'n.

Passing thru ..... those lemony things look divine ......

Morning Joe- Just a quick check-in. I am wrapping up the Bradbury. This guy has yet to disappoint. Have a great Saturday.

>130 leperdbunny: Impressive, Tamara. You are obviously comfortable as a culinary explorer. Please keep us posted on the new territories you discover. I'd never heard of pickled limes before, but now you've got me curious. In guacamole - that could be really good.

>131 DeltaQueen50: I'm glad we undertook to get that new book nook with the nainsook, Judy. We had to have it, by hook or by crook. (It's a Seussian day, seems like). Fuzzi gets the credit for finding it. Who knew there'd be a perfect place to stroke poodles and munch on pickled limes, not to mention read your latest fave.

>>132 richardderus:, 134 Yes, I'm with you on the pickled lime guacamole, Richard. Please report back, Tam. That could be a knockout.

>133 fuzzi: I sure remember moments like that with the kiddoes, fuzzi! :-)

>135 mirrordrum: Glad to hear that Cider with Rosie is growing on you, Ellie. My memory of it is you need to slow down to a rural village time with none of the amenities we're used to, and that takes some adjusting. Once you sink in, it's charming. You've got cross-the-world fans of it in me and Mr. Cranswick.

Let's feed that raven - scrambles with brit cufflinks coming up. (My MBH always manages to sneak some fruit onto the plate).

>136 roundballnz: *waves to Alex* We can pack up some of those lemony things for you . . .



>137 msf59: Hiya, Mark. Have a good one today, buddy.

Saw a weird and wonderful show last night entitled, "Bring Me the Head of James Franco, That I May Prepare a Savory Goulash in the Narrow and Misshapen Pot of His Skull". As a reviewer said, Ian Belknap's "profane, lecture-hall style breakdown of Franco's various pursuits — the hacky poetry and art installations, the showy graduate-level course load piled on top of lucrative acting gigs — is unsparing in its rage." His reading of one of Franco's "poems" was horrifying and hilarious.

>140 jnwelch: HA! What a riot! I hope Franco comes to the show one night. Love to see what the guy would do with that.

That crossed my mind, too, RD. It would be epic. You'd have loved this show - scathing, and very clever. He's holding one of Franco's books in that pic, and he hates all of them with a fiery passion.

If he's built an entire evening of theater around slamming James Franco, he'd have to be passionate in his loathing. What on earth set him off, I wonder?

>142 jnwelch: The constant media references to Franco as a "renaissance man" have really wound him up, I know that much. To him, Franco's mediocrity and worse in the arts (which he separates from the acting) has made that phrase meaningless. Franco's perceived constant quest for our attention and approbation also galls him. I'm leaving out a lot of expletives deleted.

Belknap also was making a broader point about those who pose. Artists with true passion, he loves. Those who are in it for the attention and the appearance drive him nuts. The show starts with a song that has a poser mournfully singing in part, "I stay home reading books that are beneath me, and working on my work, which no one understands."

An additional point he made: we all encourage this with our breathless chatter on the internet about celebrity minutiae, and our insatiable appetites for media reports on them. "Polishing the turd", he called it, and he urged us to resist.

Goodness! What a lark the evening sounds to be.

Let's have some breadfruit fries to distract us from angry ranting men:

It actually was surprisingly funny. But maybe my MBH and I have perverse senses of humor. Plus I probably have done a lousy job of describing it. Plus comedy is hard to describe. It's like explaining why Lewis Black, or Louie C.K. is funny. You have to see them, I guess.

ETA: The breadfruit looks like it needs something. I see you're giving it a go over on Mamie's thread. If you convince her, I may give it a try.

The show starts with a song that has a poser mournfully singing in part, "I stay home reading books that are beneath me, and working on my work, which no one understands." bwahahaha! I used to be a really, for lack of a better term, emo teenager. At least now, looking back on it, I think so. This kind of reminds me of that. I've also dated people like that and it gets old really quick. Also, remnds me of this in a different way:

>147 leperdbunny: Ha! You got it, Tamara. Life as artifice? What would be great about having Franco show up for this one is he seems impervious to criticism. And who wouldn't want to be impervious to criticism? There's a lot to envy there. The guy is hilarious in This is the End, too.

(145) Breadfruit fries? What an interesting dish...

(147) that is funny. My 30 yo son recently posted that picture on Facebook.

Sunday morning...have had my cuppa java, and am thinking of what I'd like to eat...how about a cheese biscuit?

The cheese biscuits here in eastern NC are not like those you get at Bojangles or other 'food' places. They are big and soft, with a generous hunk of "hoop" cheese (a local type of cheddar) baked inside...which oozes out when you bite into the biscuit.

Oh, dear Lord, must have one of those biscuits!

>149 fuzzi: *faints from cheese-biscuit-lust*

I call this type of cheese biscuit a "coronary special", but as I only eat one every month or so, I hope it is okay. :)

Oh dear lord. Me wants. Gimme gimme gimme.

Yummy!

Morning Joe- Coffee, please! Not much on my agenda today: Books & football. Just what the doctor ordered. Loved the Bradbury.
Hope you have a nice Sunday planned.

>149 fuzzi: It's like a cream puff with CHEESE. I've never encountered one of these delicacies, and 'twould be best if I never do...

biscuity

It doesn't feel like it's still morning.

Hi Joe, I hope someone is serving you a nice cuppa this morning, you do it for us all the time :)

>149 fuzzi:. Oh my, fuzzi. That cheese biscuit is almost as good as seeing furry Sherlock to start the day. I love cheese, and I love biscuits. I'm grokking on that combo.

>>150 drneutron:, 151 Me, too, Jim and Richard. Must take a field trip to eastern NC pronto.

>152 fuzzi:. Once a month sounds fine to me, fuzzi. Seems like we could do better on the name though. Ambrosia? Manna from heaven? Dreams made real?

Is there a good bookstore in eastern NC? We're now considering moving there (sorry, Seattle).

>153 Morphidae:. That has a Sesame Street ring to it, Morphy. I hope we don't have learn our numbers or letters before we get to have our cheese biscuits.

>154 leperdbunny: Succinctly put, Tam. I think we're going to need more cheese biscuits. Guest chefs invited.

>155 msf59:. Good morning, Mark. Hope you saw my comments on The Reason I Jump up there. I recommend it highly.

Glad you liked the Ray B. What an imagination, and what a spellweaver.

I just re-read a favorite Spenser, Double Deuce, with Spenser and Hawk taking on a gang in a Boston public housing project. As good as I remembered. So good I put Looking for Rachel Wallace on the Kindle for another re-read.

Thanks to Paul I'm also reading Szymborska's selected poems (excellent), and I know you're a fan of Packing for Mars. My GN is the 4th Scott Pilgrim in color. I don't know what it is about the color, but it's really well done, and I'm loving these more than ever. Why does Ramona love Scott? Because he's "pleasant and simple-minded." Well yes, exactly.

I'm still visually-impeded on Sundays, so I'll have to ask you to grab your own coffee. No worries; the staff is friendly, and they know you anyway.

Enjoy the day off- finally! Books and football sounds perfect.

>156 laytonwoman3rd: You're more iron-willed than. I am, Linda. I'm hearing the siren call of those cheese biscuits, and you may have to tie me to the mast.

>157 mckait:. Ha! Thank you for the thought, Kath. We walked to Starbucks and grabbed a latte for me and chai for my MBH.

We went to the Bulls game last night, and they won, beating a very good Indiana team. So all is right with the world.

Hope you're having a good and relaxing Sunday.

Joe- Wow! It looks like a rough weather day. Yikes. I wonder if they'll get the game in?

I finished and liked Mirror, Window. And I just realized I have read Akira: Volume 1. I read it last December. I liked it but probably not enough to continue. I'll have to return my copy to the library. LOL.

Go Bears! We NEED a big WIN!

>160 msf59:. Woo, just got caught in that rough weather, Mark. Couldn't resist the warmth, and went over to Horner Park. Heavy winds and a downpour. Sending the Bears fans to the concourse! Jeesh. Serious business.

Poor Debbi is on the El platform at Belmont. Nothing moving. Crap.

I heard about that weather, Joe. Hope you and yours are OK.

let us know when you're ok. just saw pics from Peoria, Gifford and Washington. Wash looks pretty much gone. heartbreaking.

Giving an update, I was just on the phone with my parents, and the tornado warning has seemed to pass, so my dog and I are back in our apartment, and Mom and Dad are going back upstairs. The skies are clearing up a bit, and the rain isn't as bad. It was really intense and scary for a while, but things seem to be getting better.

thank you, thank you, thank you, Becca and Sherlock.

i saw this shot of/from Soldier Field and went *whoa!* glad old Tequila Nose ain't there.

Scary weather! Feels like spring/summer weather, instead of you know, late fall weather. My mind is boggled.

Well, Joe, my friend, I'm assuming and hoping that you are safe. I'm way behind (why do I even bother to say that?).

I used to be a huge Robert B Parker fan -- Spencer and Hawk, what's not to love? -- but haven't read him in years. I could probably go back and start from the beginning and enjoy the series all over again.

I'm not even looking at the cheese biscuits.

Scary storm clouds!

>161 jnwelch: Sending the Bears fans to the concourse! Jeesh. Serious business.
We got this on out 6pm news just before! Wow.

Joe all your food is making me want to ditch my detox and chow down. This might not be the best place for me to be over the next week! I am only on day one and dont want to crack under the immense pressure that your food pics are placing on me!!! (i have only ever done a detox once, it was meant to be 10 days, I lasted 4 which I thought was pretty good!!)

Morning Joe- Hope you survived our crazy weather day! Wow! And Go Bears! What a nutty, muddy game! I don't think football gets much grittier.

>>162 tymfos:, 163 Thanks, Terri and Ellie. All is well in Chi-town. You're right, Ellie, about Washington. Pic below. Can't imagine having it all go like that. Luckily word got out early to them, so they were able to take cover, with fewer casualties than might have been.



>164 seasonsoflove: Thanks, Becca. By the time I got on to LT yesterday, or tried, the site was screwed up. RD on FB confirmed they were trying to fix it. Glad you and the furry guy were able to go down to your apt. building's basement. Your ma said he was exhausted after all the excitement.

>165 mirrordrum: Ha! Yeah, I'm glad ol' Tequila Nose wasn't at this game, too, Ellie. They shepherded all the fans into the concourses, but not very skillfully, with some having to wait a half hour to get out of that weather. That pic shows how scary it got. It was crazy wind and rain for us, but it sure could have been a lot worse.

>166 leperdbunny: Yeah, I was out in it, Tamara, because it was so balmy. I'd taken a walk to a local park, and ran into a neighbor who was out running while his son rode his bike. We were all soon scampering back home. I guess the warm air (we were in the high 60s) mixing with a cold front caused this. My MBH was coming back from a meeting, and got drenched but home safe.

>168 LovingLit: It was pretty wild, Megan. Afterward we decided that everything we had in place worked fine - food, water, flashlights, etc. Plus our basement is lined with bookshelves, so we had plenty to read. The guy on the tv actually said we all should put on helmets if we had them. We don't ride bikes in the city, so we didn't. On Becca's good idea, we had big books handy to take the place of helmets if need be - 1Q84 and Wonderstruck. :-)

Understood if seeing the food at the cafe is too much - I'll stop by your thread to say hi. Good for you for cleaning your innards. Good luck!

>169 msf59: Yes, we survived just fine, Mark, and I hope everything's in one piece out by you. I said to Debbi that we've had enough bad storms in recent years that brought down tree limbs that this time around wasn't so bad.

Quite a Bears win. Robbie Gould must have been wondering what the wind was going to do with that winning field goal - it just barely made it inside the upright.

Weather can sure remind us how trivial we are in the scheme of things, can't it? Glad to know that you and yours are safe.

Off to work with two keurig cups in my pocket and hope that my headache will go away. . Have a good one :) The weather is all clear now, right?

Weather is all clear now, Kath. The cold front won, and we're in the 40s, but no rain and the wind has for the most part calmed down.

You're right, it's a mind-boggler when something like that happens. We're all still trying to get on-kilter.

I'm going to be trying those keurig cups - Peet's has some, and work has a keurig machine, so I'm going to give it a try at some point. Hope the headache leaves and you have a good one today.

Glad to see that you safely battened down the hatches Joe. The Bears are doing pretty well this season so far aren't they?

Glad you all are safe, Joe! Did I really see that you intend to move to EASTERN NC? Really? I've only been East a few times - all the way out to the Ocracoke Ferry, and can't say there's anything to love about the area. Now WESTERN NC...tha's a different story...

>175 dragonaria: Cheese biscuits.

'Nuff sed.

Glad the storm passed, scary. * shudders * I hope the weather stays pleasant for the rest of the week.

>174 PaulCranswick: All hatches were battened down, Paul, and we rode out the storm just fine. We had a bit of trouble when we had to catharpin the shrouds by means of capstan bars lashed just below the futtock shrouds (see >89 jnwelch:), but once we figured out what the heck that was supposed to mean, we were able to duct tape it well enough to stay afloat.

Luckily the phones were working, so we were in touch with our beloved daughter the whole time, and we were able to let her brother, who was spending the weekend in Houston, know all was well.

Did not expect the Bears to beat the Super Bowl champs yesterday. They showed a lot of grit and determination. They've had so many injuries, it's hard to believe they're still in the hunt.

Hope all is going well in your part of the world.

>>175 dragonaria:, 176 Richard's got it, Kimberly. I said it in a moment of weakness, because of fuzzi's eastern NC cheese biscuits. Do they have good cheese biscuits in Western NC? If so, you might get us to reconsider.

>177 Thebookdiva: Thanks, Abby. We'll miss the warm temps, but not the scary crazy mashup with the cold front. It won't be as pleasant this week as in your neck of the woods (or pecan trees), I imagine, but we'll take it. Hope you have a good week ahead of you.

Glad to know you're safe, Joe. I checked with TLo as well. Any news on other midwesterners?

(158) @jnwelch wrote
Is there a good bookstore in eastern NC? We're now considering moving there (sorry, Seattle).

We have a nice small one here in Greenvile, opened last year by a young man who is keen on books and music. It's called David's Used Books (catchy name, hmm?).

Oh, and we have a Barnes & Noble, too, does that count?

I'm sure there are more little bookstores tucked in here and there, but I'm not familiar with them. Try checking out New Bern, Chocowinity (love that name!) and Washington, NC.

(175) @dragonaria, I'm sorry you don't like eastern NC. :(

But there are miles and miles of roads and woods and swamps wetlands and lots of beaches and mosquitoes wildlife and a whole bunch of very friendly and genuine people here.

You can buy a nice little ranch on a 1/2 acre in a residential area for less than $100,000.

I transplanted here in 1999, and I love it.

>175 dragonaria: Cheese biscuits.

'Nuff sed.

Yep, what richard said. :)

>179 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. As far as I know, all the other midwesterners are okay, too. I'm not aware of any LTers near Washington, IL, where the worst of it hit, and our Chicago-area folks and Wisconsites all seem to be fine.

>>180 fuzzi:-181 Thanks, fuzzi. As long as there are cheese biscuits, that all sounds doable. B & N's do count, as far as I'm concerned, and David's sounds like my kind of place. I like your tactful cross-outs in describing the area's appeal. I know lots of people love living in NC.

Joe, I spent 11 years living in SC, and now 14 years here in eastern NC.

The people I have met in NC are, for the most part, the nicest, friendliest people. There ARE exceptions, as in any locale, but I can't recall being any place where the people are this nice.

If you slide off the road and into the ditch, suddenly there are several good ol' boys with their trucks and chains, ready to help you out.

And they have cheese biscuits...and hushpuppies...and corn dogs...and 'nana puddin'...and vinegar base barbecue ("pulled pork"), and...

...sorry richard. I'll stop...

Hi Joe! Hope you are having a lovely day!

>183 fuzzi: Oh, you're going to have Richard's antennae up with that list of food items, fuzzi. Friendly people make a big difference, no question about it. Plus your climate is moderate - your area is mid-70s or so right now, isn't it?

>184 leperdbunny: Thanks, Tam! It's so great to have you back on LT. Hope you're having a lovely day, too.

Average temps for the local area:

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/27834

In the winter we do get very cold weather, like 15-20 degrees F, but it doesn't happen very often and doesn't stay long as a rule.

Summers are warm and humid, but the shore/beach is just over an hour's drive away. And air conditioning is everywhere. :)

Addendum: it's 75 degrees (F) right now, and sunny...

Me for western NC. Cheese biscuits or no, Asheville/Maggie Valley/Sylva is too beautiful not to call my name. *wistful sigh*

There's a bookstore in Duck, NC, waaaaay east.

Coffee and tea anyone?



I love tea/coffee parties *sigh*

Me too (re: the coffee tea parties!), *sigh*
Just ate my spinach and asparagus though, and it was tasty! *saving bikkies til next week*

Duck IS "way east". I've not been there, but I have been to Plymouth, NC...they have the best fish/aquarium store that I've seen in years. I wish it weren't an hour's drive away.

Plymouth also has a darling little downtown. We discovered it on one of our "fish" runs. :)

If you're interested, I created a thread/topic about eastern NC, here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/150469

coffee and cookies? *swoons*

My apologies to Eastern NC, I didn't catch the cheese biscuit connection. We all have our preferences and mine is the mountainous region of WNC. We do have a little café down in Dillard, GA, just across the border, that has cheese biscuits, but not the gooey kind. And you should see the public library in Sylva

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/94026336.jpg

I'd paste the picture if I had the skill.

The Sylva liberry, formerly the courthouse. Cute town!

I found a Christmas present for Richard. We could all chip in...

Morning Joe- Coffee, bitte! I am enjoying a day off. It looks like it will be nice out there and will give me a chance to make a dent in that thick carpet of leaves out there.
I plan on wrapping up the Munro collection. This is one I am sure you would like. I hope the work day goes well.

^I love the Dickens doll! LOL.

I shall Lofitly Ignore the badinage concerning That Vile Writerly Bore.

*mental note send Santa a Coal-Only Memo re: Morphy*

>>186 fuzzi:-187 What's in central NC? Maybe the twain shall meet there.

>188 leperdbunny: I'm in, Tam. Coffee and cookies are the two main food groups, according to the FDA (Friendly Digestive Association).

>189 LovingLit: Kudos to you, Megan. Put some eggs with the spinach and asparagus and I might join you.

>190 fuzzi: Thanks for the link, fuzzi. Looks like you have a good group of eastern NC-ers. The photos make it look quite rural and pretty. I see Plymouth in there.

>191 mckait: I know, Kath. Tam throws a good party, doesn't she?

>>192 dragonaria:, 193 That's a mighty attractive library, Kimberly and Richard. What's it like inside? Woo, you'll have earned your reading once you've made it up those steps, eh?

>>194 Morphidae:, 196 That's a beaut, Morphy. Can you pretend it's Peter Jackson, Richard?



We can compare coal after the holidays, Morphy. I always get it from my sisters.

>195 msf59: Day off! Sounds great, Mark. Clear, sunny day after all the crazy. Glad you're liking the Munro. Maybe down the line, for me.

ETA: Forgot Mark's coffee! We'll throw in a donut to offset the screw-up. Here you go:



How about some hot cider today?

Hey, I live in Minnesota. Some coal would be helpful. We need the warmth!

We Dutch are expecting our first snow this week, brrr. But today is beautiful with sometimes sun and not too cold. Perfect weather for a hot chocolate!

Sadly I haven't had occasion to visit the inside of the library, I'm over in Macon County. But the Regional Director told me they refurbished the inside "true to it's original state" whatever that was. My understanding was a lot of wood and some high thresholds that their carts don't wheel over so easily. And there is a back entrance that you can drive to. ;) Those stairs would be a killer!

>199 Morphidae: Ha! I hadn't thought of that, Morphy. I'm sure we can put it to use on some chilly days in Chicago. My wife has said that her year in Minnesota was her coldest ever.

>200 wilkiec: That does sound good, Diana. My only visit to Holland was in the summer. I bet it's beautiful in winter, too. Hot chocolate? But of course:

Ooh, a donut with half sprinkles! I am picking up the GN, you recently recommended from the library today and I might just start it. Lots of nice sunshine out there, at the moment.

Good morning! Wow, Hot chocolate and Cider too???!!?? :P

>203 msf59: Infinite Horizon? Good - it should work for you, Mark. Yeah, it's a sunny day downtown, too. I'm going to make sure to get a walk in at lunchtime.

Just saw this one and couldn't resist:



After years of loosely grouping books in our house, and never being able to find a particular one when I wanted to, our son convinced me to alphabetize, regardless of subject matter, and it has really worked. Among other things, besides being able to find a book now, it has shown me which ones have gone missing, so we look for replacements at book sales and in used bookstores.

ETA: >204 leperdbunny: Good morning, Tam! Yup, we're a full service cafe, with hot beverages of every stripe this time of year - and cold ones for our friends nearer or south of the equator.

Morning, Joe! Coffee, please. So glad that you came through that weekend weather okay. SO scary, that!

As usual, this joint is jumpin'! Hoping that your Tuesday is full of fabulous.

I am strictly an alpha order guy, except for the piles that haven't been shelved yet. That gets a bit helter-skelter. On my "keeper" shelves, I tend to group them in genres and subjects, so alpha order is not always necessary. I love being able to locate a book, when I need to and nothing is more frustrating when you know a book should be there and it is not! Grrrrr...

Hello Dear Joe!

*changes Santa Memo to Reindeer Weather*

>206 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Yes, we were lucky with that weekend weather. Some of the devastation in north central Illinois is hard to believe. I can't imagine having our house just wiped out, and then carrying on, as so many folks are.

It's a good Tuesday so far, for sure. My MBH has been teasing me, because I am so ready for the four day Thanksgiving break, I keep trying to move it up into this week.

Coffee coming up:



>207 msf59: I'm an alpha convert, as you can tell, Mark. We do have some places where it's otherwise, like our living room and a kitchen spinner, but generally it's all alpha now. Big improvement. Yes, I got motivated after one too many times of excitedly describing a book and then not being able to get my hands on it.

>208 Whisper1: Ha! Good to see you, Linda! Thanks for the most excellent bear gif. I'm glad you can travel a bit on the threads today. Hope you're slowly getting your state of the body to where you want it to be.

>209 richardderus: Is this because the coal turned out to be useful, RD? I suspect so. I'm not ready for reindeer weather, I know that much. But it's a comin'.

I love your "Librarian Hell" cartoon, Joe!

I keep my fiction in alpha order, but tend to group non-fiction loosely by subject (though not strictly Dewey Decimal).

>211 tymfos: Isn't that a funny cartoon, Terri? I knew I had to post it when I saw it. Hits home for all of us.

I used to have non-fiction broken out by subject, but non-alpha. Now everything's mixed together, alpha by author. At some point, I may be motivated enough to break nonfiction back out, alpha this time. Truth be told, like a natural born LTer, I actually enjoy working with the books. Not a chore. Each one, as I pick it up, has something to say, memories to convey. And the ones we have are all keepers - we're pretty good at moving out ones we don't want or need to keep.

Hi Joe!

I'm categorized and alphabetized. I also break out the Viragos and NYRBs and put them in their own special sections.

Keeping track of ebooks is an entirely different problem. I haven't figured it out yet, but do try to keep them organized in my LT catalog.

Enjoy your walk in sunny downtown!

Keeping track of ebooks is an entirely different problem. I haven't figured it out yet, but do try to keep them organized in my LT catalog.

Oh, trying to keep e-books organized is impossible! I have a bunch of different reading apps, each with different titles . . . I even have trouble keeping them organized in my LT catalog. They kind of get away from me, especially the freebies I pick up on a whim.

Mornin', Joe. It's a celebratory type of day here today, and so I'll splurge for breakfast. How about a mimosa or two, and some fancy pancakes?

>213 DorsVenabili: You sound way more organized than me, Kerri. Ebooks - on LT I treat them just the same as non-'s. On Kindle, I haven't figured it out yet. They're a jumble.

Thanks re the walk - taking it soon, like after these posts!

>214 tymfos: So far I'm only using the Kindle, and the Kindle app on phone and iPad, Terri. A jumble. Haven't figured out how to do better yet - it's more appealing to just keep reading.

>215 ronincats: Morning, Roni. I'll have to get over to your thread and find out why it's a celebratory type of day today, unless you just have an unusual affinity for Tuesdays. Splurge brek coming up (hope you like chocolate - chocolate chip pancakes):

>271 Pssst...to whomsoever is putting bugs in my man's ear.....chocolate diamonds this year, please.

it's more appealing to just keep reading.

Exactly!

(197) Central NC has Raleigh, the Research Triangle, the Triad, lots of business, Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, the zoo at Ashboro...

Lookie what I found!

http://library.uncg.edu/dp/nclitmap/

And this!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g28954-Activities-North_Carolina.html

Regarding the organization of my books:

My main problem is that I don't have any one area for books, they are scattered all over my house. I have one bookcase in the living room that has books in boxes on the shelves since I moved the furniture around...was it last year? Maybe in the Spring of 2013? Oh dear!

Then I have books in my joint bedroom, so only half the walls are mine. My favorite juvenile/youth animal stories are in my nightstand, grouped by author as best as I can taking into account that they are not all the same size. Sometimes I have to shuffle them around in order to get them all in. That's where I have my Jim Kjelgaard, Jack O'Brien, Fred Gipson, and James Oliver Curwood books.

Then above my nightstand I have a bookshelf that has Christian books on the top shelf like CS Lewis, etc., non-fiction nature guides on the middle shelf, and Bible commentaries on the bottom.

My bed's headboard has a jumble of books, mainly what I am reading, or thinking of reading, or just finished reading and can't figure out where to put them. I have to share the headboard with my dh, who loves big coffee table type books...I'm afraid one night they'll crash down on top of him, but he doesn't think it's going to happen.

Against the long wall I have two standing bookcases and three mounted on the wall. I have tried to group by author and subject, but again, the different sizes of the books make it difficult. Of the three mounted bookshelves, I have mysteries and sci fi on one shelf, and ROOT/TBR on another, and Westerns/Louis L'Amour books on the third. One of the standing bookshelves has TBR/ROOTs as well, and the second has most of my historical fiction like Thomas Costain, Winston Graham and Sharon K Penman.

On a really short wall between the closet door and the outside wall I have another set of shelves, mounted, with mainly "people" stories, like Pearl S Buck, Marie Killilea, and other similar types. It's a real hodgepodge, and I'd love to do something with it. These shelves are very narrow, so only paperbacks will fit, making the alphabetical shelving near impossible.

On the back of the closet door I have a wire rack mounted, populated with more Sci Fi and mysteries. It, too, can only hold paperbacks, so the hardcover or oversized books have to go elsewhere.

And in my closet I have yet another two bookshelves, one on top of the other. Most of my juvenile books are here, as well as some non-fiction.

I'd like to make my library super well organized, but lack of time and space are against me. I hopefully will get it done to my satisfaction, some day. But organizing would take time away from reading...

Addendum: this is what I need...wall to wall bookshelves...

>217 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! I mean, *quietly* Thanks, Richard. Happy 21st, Roni! My you're looking svelte and sparkly today!

>218 laytonwoman3rd: My MBH would go for the chocolate diamonds, too, Linda. She is surprisingly unmoved by gems, but quite moved indeed by chocolate.

>219 tymfos: Ain't that the truth, Terri? I just took my Kindle on my break and enjoyed a Spenser re-read, Early Autumn. Mamie and Ellen are reading it, too. I'm even getting used to the "%" approach to how far I am in the book. About 40% for this one.

>220 fuzzi: Those are handy and dandy links, fuzzi. We just got word some relatives will be moving to Gatlinburg, TN, about 5 hours from Raleigh. Not a hop, skip and a jump, but a heckuva lot closer than Chi-town (about 12 hrs).

>221 fuzzi: I know the problem, fuzzi. Besides our basement, and to some extent our living room, ours is fragmented, too. My nightstand is filled with books I mean to read, or to finish, and it doesn't work well. I should try some other approach. Most noteworthy is my halfway-through Guns of August, which I need to just kick myself in the rear end and finish some time.

At least I've managed to avoid this:

That's a painful picture! Think of what damage is being done to those books.

I promise I'm not being snarky here, but is anyone actually fond of Updike? I've not read him, and don't have a strong desire to do so, but I notice near-universal dislike. I do know a woman who I think once said a nice thing about "A & P" - I think that's a short story - but that's the only kind thing I've ever heard.

Sincerely curious.

>223 fuzzi: I know, you're right, fuzzi. Maybe I shouldn't even have posted it. It's supposed to be an art piece, I believe, but like some other art pieces using books, it is painful to see that done to our friends.

>224 DorsVenabili: I look forward to others responding to this, Kerri. I don't know anyone who is fond of Updike either. I read two of the Rabbit books and thought, meh, and some of his New Yorker pieces, and thought the same. I'm going to read The Witches of Eastwick for the AAC, in the hope that it at least supplies some fun. Plus some others doing the AAC will be reading that one, as you know.

Mmm. Updike. My one-line review from my profile page:

96) Updike, John, RABBIT, RUN: Get over it! Pull up your socks and get on with it! Sheez.

I've found his pauky, solipsistic, imbonous men as aggravating on the page as they are in real life.

Joe - I'm so very behind so I just skimmed and looked for code words like Spenser and hot chocolate. I am a little more than halfway through Early Autumn. It is a good one. I am enjoying this journey of one Spenser a month with Donna and Mamie. Thanks for the recommendation.

Glad you are safe from storms.

I decided to try all the authors Mark recommended in his AAC and if I don't like them at 50 pages well then may Nancy Pearl be invoked and move on. I'll be trying The Witches of Eastwick with you.

>226 richardderus: I'm entirely with you in spirit, Richard, as you can tell. But I couldn't find definitions for "pauky" or "imbonous". Help! "Pawky" is kind of a good thing, and couldn't have been intended.

>227 luvamystery65: Ha! I like your idea of looking for code words like Spenser and chocolate, Roberta. Good to have your company for The Witches of Eastwick. Yes, safe from storms - so odd. Wasn't even on our minds here until crazy Sunday. Now peaceful weather is strongly appreciated.

You're welcome on the Spenser rec - it's so great to have others enjoying the books as much as I do. I'm doing the same for Mark's AAC, except I'm switching out Faulkner and switching in Alice Walker.

Pauky = awkward, ill-proportioned, ungainly

Imbonous = without good qualities

I'd never use pawky for Updike, to be SURE.

>229 richardderus: Thank you! My google-fu was sub-par today.

Yes, no Pawky, maybe Mawkish. Mawky? Apparently that means "full of maggots". I don't think I can go that far.

No, no, that's a bridge too far indeed. I might dislike the man's stuff, but "full of maggots" *shudder* is unwarranted.

>231 richardderus: This I unreservedly love from the conclusion to your Rabbit Run review: "Untoasted white bread spread with Miracle Whip, topped with limp outer leaves of iceberg lettuce and slices of weak-kneed, pale-pink winter tomatoes, with one piece of undrained, undercooked bacon in the middle." Funny, and right on the money.

*toe in dirt* garshk

I calls 'em like I sees 'em, even when it's not popular. Most people seem to like this book. Beats me how or why.

I don't get it either. In short, as said in your review: "Boring." I'm hoping that The Witches of Eastwick will at least have some fun in it, but as Roberta says, the Pearl Rule will be in effect.

>235 leperdbunny: Lovely, Tam. Thanks! Hope your day is off to a good start.

I finished another enjoyable Spenser re-read, Early Autumn, and now need to get back to Packing for Mars. The latter is good, but can be a bit homework-y at times.

Hmm, what should we add to what Tam brought? Breakfast on the back patio?

Another one I couldn't resist.

Oh, I like that one, Joe! That's exactly how I feel sometimes!

>237 jnwelch: Early Autumn is my absolute favorite of the Parker series. I think it stands alone, and deserves a place in literature outside of genre fiction.

>230 jnwelch: Mawky? Apparently that means "full of maggots" Well, now that's a good 'un, and I'm going to use it somewhere...sometime. Somehow I don't see Updike's bland concoction attracting even the maggot population to swarm. (I'm so glad you guys don't care for him; I thought it was maybe just a girly failing of mine. Mmmmphhh.....NO I DIDN'T!!)

>239 Crazymamie: Ha! I know, Mamie, me, too. I get really focused in when I read, and it's hard to surface from that.

I'm the same way watching something. Our kids used to smack me on my leg to get my attention when I was zoned into a book or something on the tube.

>240 laytonwoman3rd: Wasn't Early Autumn exceptional, Linda? I'm glad you liked it so much. I really enjoyed the re-read. The good news is Paul appears in three more, and we get to see him as he matures.

Ha! So far we haven't found any Updike fans. Mark has been the most positive, but even that wasn't a resounding endorsement. As Kerri said somewhere on LT, it has been very interesting - we would expect at least some people to step up in strong support of his books. Not so far.

I am thinking that maybe Chelle liked Updike. Not positive about that -I thought she read one of his Rabbit books this year and liked it.

I am so thrilled to hear that we will get to see more of Paul in later Spenser books - hooray for that!

Okay, so I just checked and she read Rabbit, Run, but it was last year. She gave it 4.5 stars, so she certainly liked it. So there you go. One.

Hrm. I wonder how he weaseled his way into "the canon." I suppose the Rabbit books must have resonated with a certain segment of the population back in the day. I don't know. Oh well. Thank you for indulging my curiosity.

ETA: Oh! So there's Chelle then. Where's Chelle to defend this poor man?!

>>242 Crazymamie:-243 I know, Mamie, more Paul makes me happy, too. Way back when I read the series as it came out, I never knew whether he'd reappear or not, and it was always an extra boost when he did.

OK, one in the positive column for an Updike book, and I think Rabbit, Run is the one Mark liked well enough, too. RD and I found it meh - his eloquent comments on the blandness and boringosity are up above and further explained in his review.

ETA: >244 DorsVenabili: Ha! I'm not sure Chelle knows the poor man is being disparaged, Kerri. The New Yorker staff certainly seems to have thought highly of him. I never understood it, as you can tell.

Dissing Updike! Actually that sounds like a cool book title. I have not read Rabbit, Run. I read Rabbit is Rich back in the mid-80s but always wanted to go back and read them from the beginning. Hey, if it doesn't appeal, I'll scoop up my book bag and go home.

Hope you are having a good Hump Day, Joe! Just started Allegiant and trying to put it all together.

#246 - Dissing Updike! Actually that sounds like a cool book title. Or a band name. In fact, I think that's what I'll call my new Norwegian death metal band.

I read Couples back in the day, and something else in the 1990s but I don't remember what, and them Rabbit, Run for the book circle. Three is enough. Not one made me think "ooo, more" or even "mmm hmmm" but "oh gawd how soon will this tedium end?!"

So much great food featured here and on your last thread, Everything looks particularly yummy even all that coffee, everything except that cheesy puff thing, sorry I could never eat that.
I've never read any Updike though did think I'd start with the Witches of eastwick if I ever did.

if you have any interesting cheesecake, I'm in. And coffee of course.

>246 msf59: Did you re-read Insurgent before starting Allegiant, Mark? If so, that'll make it easier. I had to work hard to remember all the relationships and actions that preceded the last book when I started it.

Hump Day is good so far. Looking forward to post-Hump Day, per usual. Hope it has been a good one for you. I didn't get out at all, as a lunch meeting intervened.

>247 DorsVenabili: LOL!! "Dissing Updike" seems like the perfect name for your new Norwegian death metal band, Kerri. It's a heck of a lot better than Aeon or Altar or a whole bunch of boring real ones.

>248 richardderus: You've certainly given him a fair try, Richard. With two of the Rabbits and some New Yorker articles, I feel like I've had enough, too - "how soon will the tedium end" - exactly. We'll see whether The Witches of Eastwick provides some entertainment, or gets Pearl-ruled in '14.

>249 avatiakh: Hiya, Kerry. Thanks - the cafe kitchen has been bringing out some great food, hasn't it?

I believe that cheesy puff thing is one that won my heart. I find that kind of combo of cheese and biscuit irresistible. That's why cafes have menus, rather than serving everybody the same thing, right? I'm not sure I'd go for marmite or a huhu grub.

We do have some interesting pumpkin cheesecake, and interesting coffee, too.

Those creepy tea cups make me laugh! And I love cheesecake! I could never quite bring myself to like actual cake however, nope, just cheesecake for me!

>251 Thebookdiva: Aren't those marching coffee cups something, Abby? I'm not much of a pumpkin guy, but that cheesecake looks good to me, too.

You know, neither of our kids like regular cake either. At birthday time we tend to go with pie for them. I was surprised, as I thought everybody liked cake. It's hard to find anything dessert-y that I won't go for. Even caramelized turnips with pears and maple syrup.

The new cafe is open - come on over!